Henry McCoy (Earth-616)
, ; formerly (founding member); (founding member); ; ; (while mind-controlled); (founding member); , | Alignment = Good | Relatives = Sadie McCoy (paternal grandmother) Norton McCoy (father) Edna McCoy (mother) Robert McCoy (paternal uncle) John McCoy (uncle) unnamed cousin | Universe = Earth-616 | BaseOfOperations = Quincarrier, mobile; formerly Utopia, San Francisco Bay, California; Graymalkin Industries, Marin Highlands, San Francisco, California; Xavier Institute, Salem Center, Westchester County, New York; Ship; X-Factor Complex, New York City, New York; Avengers Mansion, Manhattan, New York City, New York; Defenders Mansion, Rocky Mountains, Colorado | Gender = Male | Height = 5'11" | Weight = 402 lbs. | Eyes = Blue | Hair = Blue | UnusualFeatures = Covered with blue fur; snout, fang-like teeth, pointed ears, claws, vertical pupils, unusually large hands and feet (shoe size: 20). | Citizenship = American | MaritalStatus = Single | Occupation = Formerly Xavier Institute for Higher Learning Science and Math Instructor, Adventurer and Mutant Activist, Biochemist and College Lecturer | Education = Ph.D. Biophysics | Origin = Mutant; further mutated by his own experimentation | PlaceOfBirth = Dunfee, Illinois | Creators = Stan Lee; Jack Kirby | First = X-Men #1 | HistoryText = Early Years Henry Phillip McCoy's father, Norton McCoy, worked at a nuclear power plant where he was exposed to massive amounts of radiation, during an accident. Norton was unharmed, but the radiation affected his genes and, as a result, his and Edna's son, Henry, was born a mutant. Unlike most mutants, Henry showed signs of mutation from birth: unusually large hands and feet. A prodigy, Hank was also endowed with an innate superhuman intellect and during adolescence, he gained the power of simian-like augmented agility, reflexes, and strength. Thanks to his powers, Henry became a star football player as a teenager and earned the nickname, Magilla Gorilla. Hank hid his mutation and thirst for knowledge in plain sight - until the school asked him to leave after he was exposed as a mutant. Hank's remarkable athletic abilities and brilliance attracted the notice of Professor Charles Xavier, who was forming the original X-Men, and offered Hank, who excelled in the classroom, the chance for unlimited academic opportunities at his prestigious School for Gifted Youngsters. The costumed criminal, named El Conquistador, however, also took note of his abilities and captured McCoy's parents, in order to force McCoy to aid him in his criminal schemes. With the help of Prof. Xavier and the X-Men, Henry defeated the Conquistador and then joined the X-Men, as it's fourth member, taking the codename "Beast". X-Men Under Prof. Xavier's tutelage, Hank's days were rich with differential equations, Proust, and workouts in the Danger Room. Hank, immediately, became friends with Bobby Drake. During this time, Hank dated Vera Cantor, a librarian. The first battle, for the X-Men, was with Magneto. With the X-Men, Hank battled the Vanisher, the Blob, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Namor, Unus, and Lucifer. They journeyed to the Savage Land and later battled the Juggernaut, Dr. Bolivar Trask’s Sentinels, Mimic, Count Nefaria, the Locust, El Tigre, Puppet master, the Factor Three, the Super-Adaptoid, The Warlock, Cobalt Man, Mole Man and Tyrannus, Mekano, Mutant Master, and Grotesk. When the Changeling, posing as Prof. Xavier, was killed by Grotesk, the X-Men, again, battled Magneto, with the Avengers, and when they returned home, were ordered to disband by Fred Duncan of the FBI. All five members believed they could better help by working under the Federal Bureau of Investigation . Bobby and Hank briefly battled Maha Yogi, again, while on another double date . The team would soon join together again, against Mesmero and a robot Magneto - . The X-Men were able to destroy the organization from both outside and within. They, then, went on to battle Blastaar , The Living Pharaoh , Larry Trask's Sentinels , Sauron, returned to the Savage Land and battled Magneto and his Savage Land Mutates, briefly battled Sunfire, stopped the invasion of the Z'Nox, and survived an encounter with an angry Hulk. Next, Professor Xavier sent the X-Men back to the Savage Land to make sure that Magneto actually perished, where the team met Ororo Munroe, and helped her battle Deluge. The team, then went-on to aid the Fantastic Four in ending the threat of the Z'Nox. Hank was sought out by Kraven the Hunter, who wanted to hone his skills in battle against the Beast. Kraven drugged Beast to dull his reflexes, but it caused Hank to regress to a more feral nature and he went into a berserker rage. Hank would have killed Kraven, if his teammates hadn't separated them. Hank was, later, captured, by the mutant island being Krakoa, and was rescued by a new team of X-Men. Upon returning to the mansion, Hank and a majority of the original team decided to pursue a chance at a normal life, leaving the X-Men behind them. Bouncing, Blue Beast A brilliant student, McCoy completed his doctoral studies and finally left the X-Men and Professor Xavier's school to take a position as a genetic researcher, with the Brand Corporation. There, Hank developed a serum that acted as a catalyst for activating latent mutations (This serum would become the basis of the Mutant Growth Hormone). On drinking the serum, to stop theft of his work, by Dr. Carl Maddicks, a colleague from the Brand Corporation, McCoy underwent radical, physical changes. Hank grew gray fur over his entire body, his ears became larger and pointed, claws sprouted, and his canine teeth became larger, resembling fangs. The serum, also, further increased his superhuman agility, endurance, speed, and strength, as well as enhanced his senses and granted him an extraordinary healing factor. (1972) An error on his part resulted in Hank, permanently, remaining in this state. Dr. McCoy was now a beast, in fact as well as in in name. An encounter with Quasimodo caused Dr. McCoy's life force to be virtually expelled, which resulted in the gray fur becoming blue and the loss of his newfound healing factor. Depressed about his appearance, Cyclops returned Hank home for a time, but he returned, after reassurance of his importance from his old girlfriend, Jennifer Nyles. During this time, Hank was mind-controlled, by Mastermind, into joining the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, but left immediately after regaining his senses. Avengers Eventually, Dr. McCoy left Brand, joined the Avengers, and publicly revealed his dual identity. Beast, later, tracked down the X-Men and found them working in a circus, enthralled by Mesmero. Hank managed to snap the X-Men out of the illusion, just before Magneto arrived and transported them to his Antarctica base. After battling Magneto and his robot, Nanny, the Beast and the Phoenix ended up separated from the other X-Men, each group mistakenly believing the other to have died. During his time with the Avengers, Hank became the best of friends, with Wonder Man. After the X-Men battled the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle, Phoenix underwent another transformation into the Dark Phoenix and soared through the universe, where she devoured an entire star and the five billion inhabitants of one of its planets. Hank, briefly, aided his former teammates. When she returned to Earth, Phoenix threatened to kill everyone. Hank designed neural inhibitors, but Phoenix simply shorted them out. Professor Xavier was able to keep Phoenix under control and helped her will herself back to normal. The X-Men and Beast were, then, teleported away by the Shi'ar. The Shi'ar Empire had witnessed Dark Phoenix consuming the star and Beast and the X-Men were forced to battle with the Imperial Guard over Phoenix's fate. The battle triggered her transformation into Dark Phoenix once more. Phoenix understood that she would never be able to fully control the dark hunger inside and sacrificed herself on the moon. Later, a Skrull, posing as Jarvis, poisoned Vera, to blackmail the Avengers into retrieving a powerful gem called Resurrection Stone for him. Beast was able to save her, with the help of Doctor Strange, Reed Richards, and Daimon Hellstorm. Defenders After years of service with the Avengers, the Beast took it upon himself to reorganize another super-hero group, the Defenders, into a more formal combat organization. Beast's X-Men cohorts, Angel and Iceman, served in the Defenders along with him. Hank also had a brief romantic relationship with Dazzler, but the team collapsed after a climactic battle with a possessed Moondragon, in which several other members seemingly perished. The Defenders were also present when the Grandmaster and Death sent all of Earth's heroes in orbit to battle for the life of the Collector. X-Factor Around this time, the Mutant Registration Act was passed, that called for all mutants to register with the government, forfeiting their civil rights and illegalizing an unregistered mutant. After the end of the Defenders, Hank was looked-over in a position at Boston’s Harvard Medical School and visited Warren Worthington III, with Bobby, and, after Warren learned that Jean Grey was alive, joined his former teammates and founding members of the X-Men in the formation of X-Factor, an organization that intended to seek out and aid other mutants, under the pretense of hunting down those perceived menaces to society, believing that the X-Men were no longer following the dream. The public assumed they were humans hunting mutants, when in fact, as X-Factor, they were training young mutants in the use of their powers at the X-Factor Complex. Convinced that they needed a good leader to function properly, Hank was the reason Scott Summers decided to stay on. Warren asked his best friend and college roommate, Cameron Hodge, to act as the team's PR adviser, unaware that Cameron actually despised mutants, was the leader of the anti-mutant group, The Right, and was simply waiting for the time to strike. With X-Factor, Hank, first, rescued troubled mutant, Rusty Collins, from the Navy. No More Fur At this time, Hank looked-up his old girlfriend Vera, who had made a drastic change becoming a political activist, amongst others, for the pro-mutant cause and was captured, by Tower, for the geneticist, Dr. Maddicks. Dr. Maddicks performed an experiment, trying to cure mutation, that caused the Beast to revert to his original, more human appearance, after sending him into cardiac arrest. Hank refused, but Artie Maddicks, Dr. Maddicks' son, convinced him otherwise. The team was contacted to silence Tower and, after a battle, the team rescued Beast and Artie, while Dr. Maddicks perished, distracting the guards. After battling Tower, X-Factor rescued Rusty, from Frenzy. The team went-on to battle Apocalypse and his Alliance of Evil and Bulk and Glow Worm, where the media referred to their non human guises as X-Terminators, and next, Doppelganger and Crimson Dynamo. Rusty was again pursued, this time by the Freedom Force, where Blob recognized X-Factor as the original X-Men, and the team was aided by a girl, named Skids, and invited her to the Complex. Shortly after, Hank met television news reporter Trish Tilby. Rusty had been greatly injured, by the Blob, and need medical attention and Artie had went into the Morlocks' tunnels looking for him. While Marvel Girl and Angel rushed Rusty to medical attention, Beast, Cyclops, and Iceman stayed in the tunnels, while the Marauders began their massacre of the Morlocks, where Hank was injured, by Harpoon. At this time, Trish shattered X-Factor's illusion, from Mystique's tip, by leaking that Warren, a mutant, financially backed the group. After Hank and Bobby rescued Leech and Caliban, they were briefly attacked by the Tunnelers, a group of Morlocks that believed Hank and Bobby were Marauders. While Warren was in the hospital, Bobby and Hank received a call, from Boom-Boom, stating that she was being harassed, by Vanisher, and brought her back to the Complex, despite her penchant for practical jokes. After the Morlocks decided to return to the Alley, Hank was attacked, by Masque and his face horribly disfigured, until Caliban beat him and demanded he change Hank back. After having his wings amputated, Hank witnessed Warren's plane explode, seemingly killing him, and attended his funeral. Next, Caliban accompanied X-Factor on a mission to battle The Right and rescue and recruit Rictor. After searching for Boom-Boom, with Caliban and Bobby, X-Factor battled three of Apocalypse's Horsemen. During X-Factor's battle with the Horsemen, Pestilence's touch, coupled with Dr. Maddicks' experimentation, resulted in Hank gaining tremendous strength, but losing intelligence; his strength continued to grow with every exertion, but his intelligence would decline. After meeting with Franklin Richards and the Power Pack, Franklin was kidnapped, by Quicksilver, and X-Factor was transported to the Blue Area of the Moon, in Attilan, to rescue him, from Maximus. While at the reading of Warren's will, Scott attempted to tell the truth, of X-Factor being mutants, but they were attacked, by The Right, and forced to display their powers in the view of the public. Upon returning home, X-Factor found Caliban tranquilized and the children were all kidnapped, by The Right. Caliban accompanied X-Factor to rescue the children and, after, they were all teleported aboard Apocalypse's Celestial Ship, where they battled the Horsemen and Warren, as Death. Living on Ship Revealed as Death, the fourth Horseman of Apocalypse, Warren fought the rest of X-Factor and captured them. After X-Factor's defeat, the Horsemen were sent into Manhattan to incite chaos and Hank and Bobby remained on Ship battling Apocalypse. Apocalypse teleported War and Death back to the Ship and X-Factor brought Warren out of his brainwashing, after Iceman faked his own death at Warren's hands. After their defeat of Apocalypse, his Ship crash landed on their Complex and X-Factor began living on Apocalypse's sentient Ship, that had a barrier only mutants could enter, and Caliban left with Apocalypse. Unable to face anyone, Warren left the team and X-Factor was approached by the media and finally revealed the truth of their mutant origins and disguise of mutant hunters. After saving the city from a series of fires from their battle with Apocalypse, X-Factor was given a ticker-tape parade. Later, X-Factor witnessed the X-Men sacrificing themselves in Dallas, Texas on television and gave gifts to the children who lost their homes during their battle, where Hank dressed as Santa Claus. While sleeping, X-Factor was attacked by Ship, still under the control of Apocalypse, until Rusty freed it's consciousness and X-Factor expelled a bomb and Ship, now able to speak, asked to join them. Ship had complete control over every part of it's structure and could fashion rooms, weapons, and vehicles as needed from various storehouses and parts it had. Ship was able to design and run training programs for X-Factor, as well as make living quarters and workshop areas for them. While rebuilding the Empire State Building, Marvel Girl was alerted by an intense telepathic cry for help and X-Factor traveled underground to rescued the Moloids from the genocide that the High Evolutionary's Purifiers were attempting. X-Factor discovered a telepathic mutant Moloid, named Val-Or, and, together with the Moloids, Tyrannoids, and Lava Men, defeated the Purifiers and proved to the High Evolutionary that the Moloids were fit for evolution. Upon returning to Ship, Hank went through old photos of X-Factor and recited their history, as the original X-Men, to the students. Return to the Fur Later, Hank witnessed Infectia transform a police officer and attempted to warn Bobby, who was being seduced by her, but due to his lack of intelligence, Bobby couldn't understand him. After saving Bobby from her kiss, however, the powers of the Infectia's kiss, on Hank, reverted Dr. Maddicks' and Pestilence's change and triggered the Beast's return to his intelligent, blue, furry, more animal-istic look, but much stronger. Upon hearing Rusty being proposed to join the Alliance of Evil, Hank awoke from his sickness and Ship teleported him and Cyclops to aid X-Factor and the students against the Alliance of Evil. After defeating the Alliance of Evil, Freedom Force showed-up and ordered X-Factor and Rusty to register, to which X-Factor accepted, under the condition that they register under their code-names (as Hank had already registered as an Avenger), and Rusty turned himself into the Navy. During this time, Hank began dating Trish Tilby. Hank and Trish bickered, back and forth, about her reporting of X-Factor and his need for disclosure, a problem they had for the entirety of their relationship. After battling the Xartans, the X-Men, the Goblyn Queen, and Mr. Sinister, X-Factor left Earth to battle the Chosen, Rejects and Beginagains, on a space mission. Hank returned home to battle Mesmero, the Ravens, and an immortal Cameron Hodge. After Professor Xavier returned to Earth, following an extended period in outer space with Lilandra and the Starjammers, to battle the Shadow King, the Beast and his fellow X-Factor founders returned to the X-Men. Return to the X-Men Beast remained an active member of the X-Men's Blue Team, as well as serving as the resident technological and medical genius at Professor Xavier's, working on everything from advanced alien technology to a mutant-killing virus and even becoming field leader at one time. At this time, Hank began calling Scott "Fearless Leader". Returning to the X-Men, Beast battled Magneto and his Acolytes - , Omega Red and the The Hand, a Brood Warrior Ghost Rider and Brood Queen, Mojo, Hazard, and Stryfe. Legacy Virus Beast and Dr. Moira MacTaggert, via video conference, worked diligently to cure Prof. Xavier, of the Techno-Organic Virus ravaging his body, after being shot by Stryfe, until Apocalypse stepped-in and provided the cure. - - - - - - - Hank found the challenge of his career, once Stryfe tricked Mr. Sinister into releasing the deadly Legacy Virus. Hank and Warren, later, rebuilt Harry's Hideaway together and Hank went on to smear political candidate and mutant hater, Graydon Creed, on a televised political debate. Hank, then, traveled to Lord Nyoirin’s house and battled Silver Samurai. At this time, Hank and Gambit informed the Upstarts that the X-Men knew of their existence. After a brief attack by a super-powered, recently returned Magneto, at Illyana Rasputin's funeral, and aiding the Avengers in rescuing Quicksilver's daughter, Luna, Hank and Bobby visited a dying Infectia in San Francisco. There, they met a young mutant, Threnody, and Hank decided to leave her in Sinister's care, hoping that with his lack of morals, Sinister could find a cure to the Legacy Virus with her help. Hank held the dying Infectia in his arms to watch her final sunrise. After months with no results on the Legacy Virus, Hank instructed Sabretooth, who was at the time a prisoner/patient at the mansion, for information on Mr. Sinister. Hank led a small team of X-Men, Rogue, Gambit, and Psylocke, to Scott's old orphanage, The State Home for Foundlings in Omaha, Nebraska. After defeating a poorly cloned Riptide and Sabretooth, the team found Threnody in a workshop, working to cure the Legacy Virus for Sinister. This time, Hank had a change of heart and refused to let her stay in Sinister's care. Threnody promised the X-Men that she would work for them while gaining Sinister's trust, stating they should leave before Sinister became aware of their presence, a move Hank disagreed with, but was forced to accept. Hank was among the X-Men captured by the Phalanx. After moving the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters to the Massachusetts Academy, the mansion was renamed the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. After everyone was back to normal from the Age Of Apocalypse, when the event was reset correctly by Bishop, Bishop mistook Hank and Scott for their AOA counterparts and briefly attacked them, while Hank's actual AOA counterpart had been brought to the mainstream timeline twenty years prior. At this time, Trish reported the news of the Legacy Virus being a mutant virus that was now affecting humans, putting more strain on Hank and her relationship . While leaving a movie with Bishop, Hank found an unconscious Juggernaut. When he regained consciousness, Juggernaut stated that he was recently attacked, by Onslaught in Canada . Hank, then, saved Graydon Creed from an attack, from Gene Nation, at which time, Vessel referred to him as "the first one". Hank, then, entered a press conference with Professor Xavier to calm the populace over the threat of the Legacy Virus in San Francisco and returned home to help to recapture an escaped Sabretooth. Dark Beast While attempting to rid all evidence of his existence, Dark Beast stalked Bishop and was startled to see his counterpart working with the X-Men. After Dark Beast researched Hank, from visiting (and killing) his elementary school principal, his old girlfriend Mindy, his priest, his parents (who he couldn't bring himself to kill, but killed an innocent bystander instead), and apparently members of his high school, Hank was kidnapped by his alternate self in an attempt to hide from this reality's Sinister. Hank was kept alive at the abandoned Brand Corporation building, for the chance that Dark Beast would need more information while impersonating him. Hank was trapped for almost a year, while Dark Beast took over his life as an X-Man and his research, including the work on the Legacy Virus. Hank escaped at the same time that Dark Beast was discovered by Onslaught. Upon returning to the team, Hank met Trish and the two reconciled their relationship. Professor Xavier, who was left powerless after Onslaught's defeat, was arrested for his part, leaving Scott and Jean as leaders and co-headmasters of the school. Hank once again battled the Phalanx, when Gladiator teleported Hank, Rogue, Gambit, Bishop, Joseph, and Trish to the Shi'ar Empire and upon their return home, they escaped from Nanny and Magneto, in the guise of Erik the Red. Hank, then, journeyed, with the X-Men, to the N'Garai homeworld to battle the Ru'Tai and Pilgrimm, to clear the name of fellow teammate, Maggott, of murder charges. Dr. MacTaggert, the only human to contract the virus, discovered a cure to a certain strain, after Mystique's irresponsible manipulation to the viroid, and died delivering the data to Professor Xavier's, leaving her work incomplete. Based on Moira's notes and his work combined, Beast finished the anti-virus, but in order to work, he needed a sample of an infected mutant. Acting before anyone could stop him, Colossus decided to sacrifice his life. X-Treme X-Men Hank spent a short time with Storm's X-Treme team, in search of Destiny's diaries. Hank underwent a Secondary Mutation, that caused him to mutate further into a more feline creature, after having his "latent genetic potential" jump-started, by Sage , though he first showed up as cat-like in , which supposedly happened later.. After Vargas killed Psylocke, Beast returned to the Institute. New X-Men The combination of a loss of a friend and his further mutation caused Beast to become very insecure, feeling that he was devolving into an animal. Hank entered deep into his work, helping Prof. Xavier build a stronger Cerebro, named Cerebra. Prof. Xavier opened the school to a larger student base and publicly announced that he was a mutant. Hank, finally, ended his relationship with Trish, as she was afraid what would happen to her image if she was seen with him in public. After he discovered Cassandra Nova was inhabiting Prof. Xavier's body, Nova manipulated Beak into beating Beast into a deep coma. Nova, also, left him with the thought that his secondary mutation was actually de-evolution and that he would soon have the intelligence of a house cat. Hank eventually woke up, just in time for Jean Grey-Summers and Emma Frost to perform a psychic surgery and keep Prof. Xavier alive. Over time, Beast struck up a strong friendship with Emma, even collecting her shattered diamond form and arranging thousands of pieces into place, after she was attacked by Esme Cuckoo. Hank, also, began, falsely, claiming he was gay to the public, in the hope of inspiring wider support for tolerance. Here Comes Tomorrow Falling for John Sublime's trap, Hank uncovered that the human race would be extinct within a few generations. Working hard to keep the X-Men together and solve the human extinction problem, Hank turned to the drug Kick and got infected by Sublime. Corrupted, Hank caused a chain of events leading the world to ruin resulting in the Here Comes Tommorrow timeline. Phoenix disinfected Hank of the Sublime parasite and traveled back in time to end the bleak timeline. Astonishing X-Men Hank was still an active X-Man, working with Cyclops on his squad, and once again served as the team's resident genius, as well as an active teacher to dozens of young mutants at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, in-which Hank finally found his place as a guidance counselor. Hank also had, recently, questioned his intentions, as far as mutant rights went, firstly during Dr. Kavita Rao's so-called cure, then after the events of House of M. Emma found that he was considering taking the serum, but after a fight, with Wolverine in front of the students, and Cyclops asking him to wait on it, Hank decided otherwise. After further analyzing the serum, Beast learned that it was derived from experimenting on dead mutants. The resulting mission ended with the rescue of the resurrected X-Man Colossus. After facing the Danger Room, mutated to a sentient being, and Cassandra Nova, influencing Emma, the team was sent to the alien Breakworld. After their return from Breakworld, Beast began dating S.W.O.R.D. agent, Abigail Brand. Civil War During the Civil War, Beast, was among the original X-Men that helped Bishop rescue the trapped 198 and also provided Spider-Man with a holographic disguise, then enlisted in the Initiative program. Endangered Species Hank endeavored to find a way to reverse the de-powering effects of M-Day, and thus prevent the extinction of the mutant race, as not only had most of the current mutants lost their powers, but no new mutants were developing powers. To this end, Beast enlisted numerous villains, after having exhausted the help of the likes of Reed Richards and Tony Stark, to help him understand the situation. Hank traveled to Transia, in search of the High Evolutionary, whose earlier cryptic comments aroused Hank's curiosity. Scaling Mount Wundagore, Hank and his group of travelers were confronted by the Knights of Wundagore. Hank began working with Dark Beast, until at the Guthrie home, the Dark Beast injected one of the non-mutant children with a serum as a test subject. Hank eventually decided to track down the Scarlet Witch, whom he found amnesic of her past life and abandoned his quest. Due to his experience, intellect, physical abilities and fierce determination, ONE considered the Beast a significant threat if a mutant-human conflict emerged in light of recent events. Messiah CompleX After the first mutant child was born since M-Day, Hank assisted at the mansion. After the destruction of the mansion, Hank was present during the battle on Muir Island. When Cyclops disbanded the X-Men, Hank found himself at the ruins of the X-Mansion, picking up Martha Johansson, who had apparently been left behind. After the team set-up in San Francisco, the Skrulls Invaded. Hank adapted the Legacy Virus to infect the Super-Skrulls and ,without testing of an antidote, Cyclops decided to use it on them. X-Club In order to save mutantkind from the effects of M-Day, Beast and Angel decided to gather a team of specialists. They gathered Madison Jeffries, Dr. Yuriko Takiguchi, Dr. Nemesis, and Dr. Kavita Rao. During the recruitment drive, Hank learned that Warren had returned to his Death/Archangel persona. Beast and the X-Club traveled back to 1906, in order to find Dr. Nemesis's parents and discover the origins of modern mutation. During the mission, they also fought an early version of a Sentinel, created by the Hellfire Club, and inadvertently caused the San Francisco earthquake. However, when they returned to the present, they found that their DNA evidence had been buried beneath where the Dreaming Celestial was standing in the park. Dr. Yuriko Takiguchi died of natural causes, shortly after, and Beast spoke at his funeral. Cyclops then asked him to locate Cable and Hope in the timestream, as well as provide time machines to send a group of X-Men to aid them. Although Beast was unaware of the formation of X-Force, he warned Cyclops that he did not agree with the plan if they were to assassinate Bishop in the future and further protested when Cyclops pulled X-Force from a mission to save the lives of Boom-Boom, Hellion, and Surge. Dark Reign/Utopia After being arrested by H.A.M.M.E.R, for protesting in San Fransisco, Beast became a test subject for the Omega Machine (designed by Dark Beast to eradicate mutant powers and place them in Weapon Omega), while being held prisoner on Alcatraz Island, by Norman Osborn, along with Professor X. Hank was tortured daily, until Cyclops sent Magik and X-Force to rescue the captive mutants. After they settled-in on Utopia, Beast informed Cyclops that he was quitting the X-Men. Cyclops begged him to stay, saying he needed Hank to tell him when he would go too far, to which Beast replied, "Scott, you've gone too far". Fall of the Hulks/World War Hulks Reed Richards took the liberty of assembling five of the eight smartest people on the planet to help analyze Bruce Banner's condition after becoming unable to change into the Hulk, including Hank McCoy, Hank Pym, T'Challa, Amadeus Cho, and himself. McCoy ran DNA tests and reported no mutant or mutate cells in Banner's bloodstream. The super-villain scientist cabal known as the Intelligencia plotted to kidnap the world's eight smartest people to remove their opposition. To this end, Red Ghost and his Super Apes captured Hank and T'Challa, while Reed, Doctor Doom, Pym, and Banner were captured by other means, Cho evaded capture, and Tony Stark was already brain-dead. Hank was one of the heroes gamma irradiated, but Banner released Beast, Mister Fantastic, Black Panther and Wasp to help him re-tool the Cathexis Ray Generator so that he could draw the gamma energy out of the heroes, and once restored as the Hulk, destroyed the Intelligencia Hellicarrier. SWORD/Second Coming Beast joined his girlfriend Abigail Brand as a member of SWORD. Not long after, he was made a fugitive by Henry Gyrich and returned to the X-Men to attend Nightcrawler's funeral and stayed on as a doctor, during Bastion's attack on Hope. Hank and Prodigy briefed the team about the timesphere Bastion was using to send the horde of over 170,000 Nimrods to Utopia and was instrumental in finding Bastion's timeline and attuning Cable's time-travel device. Hank tended to the wounded, when they returned, then, once again, left the team, despite Namor's insulting him as a deserter. Heroic Age Beast returned to the Avengers, helping Steve Rogers with his team of Secret Avengers. The team first battled a ressurected Fu Manchu and the Shadow Council. Personality Henry McCoy wondered why he wasn't one of the "lucky ones". If he had to remain a mutant, why did he have a power that made him look and sometimes feel like a beast? He continued to struggle for the acceptance of others. As a man of arts and letters and the sciences, Beast was very much the Renaissance man, and while his peers in the intellectual community knew this, he never received a Nobel Prize or got invited to the National Academy of Sciences as they still considered him very much a mutant. He even knew what it was like to be jilted by the proverbial Beauty — his recent fear of human emotion had caused him to turn away from long time lover Trish Tilby, who had finally seemed to find the error in her ways as far as attitude towards his secondary mutation. Despite his ongoing battle with the demons of loneliness and rejection, he was an inveterate prankster and wit, and besides his brutish exterior, Beast was the most literate and eloquent of the X-Men, possessing a million-dollar vocabulary. Henry was every bit a human being plagued by duality: man/beast; genius/sports star; gentle giant/feral aggressor. Equal parts biochemist and activist, Beast focused on the X-Men's goals of building better relationships between man and mutant. In immersing himself in this campaign, Beast held hope that in the world he and the other X-Men dream of, he'll finally be known more for the genius within than for the creature outside. | Powers = Beast is a mutant. Genetic Atavism: It is possible that Beast's mutation is a result of genetic atavism (or genetic traits that resurface in a species after many years of dormancy). He also possesses neotenous (or traits in a descendant that resemble those of an ancestor organism, like a chimpanzee trait in a human) characteristics, which would explain why he has a big modern brain with an ape-like physique. Due to secondary mutation Beast transformed from his original ape-like physique to a more cat-like physique. *'Superhuman Strength:' The Beast has always possessed some degree of superhuman strength, the limits of which have varied at times due to subsequent mutation. During his teens, he was able to lift approximately 1 ton. After mutating into his simian form, and after this mutation eventually stabilized, his strength was increased to the point where he could lift about 10 tons, which was sufficient to smash through a brick wall with a single punch and to tie an iron barbell into a knot. Although the Beast has since mutated into a somewhat larger, more feline form his strength still remains at the 10 ton level.http://www.marvel.com/universe/OHOTMU:Data_Corrections_X-Men_2004 *'Superhuman Speed:' The Beast can run and move at speeds that are slightly beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete. He can run at speeds up to 40 miles an hour over short distances, particularly if he runs on all fours. *'Superhuman Stamina:' The Beast's highly advanced musculature produces less fatigue toxins during physical activity than that of an ordinary human. He can exert himself at peak capacity for several hours before the build up of fatigue toxins in his blood begins to impair him. *'Superhuman Durability:' The Beast's bodily tissues are harder and more resistant to certain types of injuries than the bodies of normal humans. His physiology can withstand great impact forces, though he can be injured by many types of conventional weapons such as standard firearms and bladed weapons. However, he can withstand physical impacts, such as falling from several stories or being physically struck by many super-humanly strong beings that would either severely injure or kill a normal human with little to no discomfort. *'Superhuman Agility:' The Beast's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete. Like some of his other powers, his agility has varied at times due to ongoing and subsequent mutations. While in his simian form, he had the agility of a great ape combined with the acrobatic prowess of an Olympic level gymnast. He could walk a tightrope or a slack rope as easily as most people can walk on a sidewalk. He could also walk on his hands for many hours, or perform a complicated sequence of gymnastic stunts such as flips, rolls, and springs. He could easily match or top any Olympic record in gymnastics. Upon mutating into his feline form, his agility remains roughly the same, though it has taken some time for him to become accustomed to the physical changes. *'Superhuman Dexterity:' He can perform many tasks with his feet as easily as a human could do with his hands. His manual and pedal dexterity are so great that he can write using both hands at once or tie knots in rope with his toes. Although he can still perform many of these same tasks in his current feline form, his dexterity isn't quite what it once was. *'Regenerative Healing Factor:' The Beast's metabolism enables him to repair mild to moderate injuries much faster than a normal human. For instance, he can recover from minor ailments, such as a cold, within a few hours. More severe injuries, like broken bones, can heal within a few days, whereas normal humans might take weeks or even months. *'Super-humanly Acute Senses:' Hank possesses enhanced, acute senses that are comparable to those of certain animals, enabling him to see and hear distant objects more clearly than a normal human, and identify and track someone purely by scent. He also possesses cat-like night-vision. *'Pheromones:' Beast has the ability to secrete pheromones to attract members of both sexes. *'Claws and Fangs:' The Beast sports retractable, razor sharp claws at the tip of each finger and toe. Their natural edge, coupled with his strength, are sufficient to rend most conventional materials including flesh, wood, stone, and even some types of metals. He also possesses elongated canines that he can use, if he chooses to do so, as effective weapons in close quarter combat situations. | Abilities = Genius-level Intellect: A world-renowned biochemist, Henry McCoy's greatest asset is his keen scientific mind. He possesses a genius-level IQ, with extraordinary expertise in genetics, biochemistry, electronics and other subjects. Beast is also an accomplished keyboard musician. Hand to Hand Combatant: The hyperactive, bouncing Beast is an excellent hand-to-hand fighter. He gained his initial combat training from Professor Xavier, and then continued his tutelage in combat gymnastics from Captain America. He typically uses a freestyle form of combat, similar to that of Spider-Man, that allows him to make full use of his great strength and agility. During times of anger, however, the Beast is known to resort to brawling and street fighting tactics. | Strength = Class 10; Hank is able to lift 10 tons. | Weaknesses = He has no inherent "weakness". | Equipment = The Beast possesses a fully-equipped laboratory in Xavier's mansion. Presumably it holds the latest in biological and material analysis devices. It may also contain Shi'ar technology. | Transportation = * Secret Avengers' Quincarrier , formerly X-Men Blackbird, X-Men Stratojet, Sentinel Air Transport, X-Factor Plane, and various aircrafts constructed by Ship. | Weapons = While known to use heavy weapons, The Beast prefers to fight bare-handed. | Notes = * In X-Treme X-Men Volume #1, it was revealed that Hank had a crush on Betsy Braddock when she was a supermodel. They flirted with one another in the same issue. * Hank's religious affiliation is Episcopalian. * The Beast enjoys Twinkies. Evidence can be found in ''X-Men'' #73, where Beast's list of New Year's Resolutions revealed that one of his resolutions was to "Eat fewer Twinkies" (the other resolutions were to "read more 15th century texts" and "cure Legacy Virus", the latter the only one which it is evidenced that he did). * Due to Beast's transformation into a cat-like being he has developed a carnivorous taste for flesh, which he is conflicted over. | Trivia = * Beast was set to appear in X-Men, but was taken out due to make-up problems. His doctor persona was transferred into Jean Grey's character. * Kelsey Grammer, who played Beast in X-Men: The Last Stand, is also known for playing psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane in the Frasier TV series, a character that, while having none of Beast's powers, was very refined and cultured himself. * His original furry transformation was an idea that originated with Roy Thomas, an effort to make the character more visibly striking. He also became more werewolf-like to capitalize on the success of Werewolf by NightSteve Englehart, Q&A with Steve Englehart * Beast was once captured by S.H.I.E.L.D and imprisoned in "The Cage". His prisoner number was: 412076 | Links = * Marvel: The Official Site - Marvel Universe: Beast (Henry McCoy) * X-Men The Last Stand * Marvel Directory * UncannyXmen.Net's Spotlight on Beast * Wolverine's Revenge * "The religion of Beast (Hank McCoy)" * X-Men: Reign of Apocalypse Hero Handbook * Marvel Encyclopedia, Vol 1, 2002. David Bogart, ISBN 0-785-10984-6 * Science of the X-Men, 1st edition paperback, 2004. Linc Yaco, Karen Haber, ISBN 0-743-48725-7 * The Xavier Files, 1st edition paperback, 1994. Justine H. Korman, ISBN 0-679-86177-7 * X-Men: The Ultimate Guide, 2nd edition hardback, 2003. Peter Sanderson, ISBN 0-789-49258-X * The Marvel Universe Roleplaying Game, 1st edition hardback, 2003. Marvel Entertainment, ISBN 0-7851-1028-3 * TSR Marvel Superheroes Judge's Book * The Complete Guide to Marvel Legends: Beast MOC Back * stason.org - when did the beast turn blue? * Henry McCoy article at Memory Beta, the licensed Star Trek Wikia. | Other Media = * Beast of the X-Men Films * Beast of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends * Beast of the X-Men Animated Series * Beast of X-Men: Evolution * Beast of X-Men Vs. Street Fighter * Beast in X-Men Legends * Beast in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance * Beast also appeared in the first level in Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro, and was voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. }} hu:Bestia Category:Protestant Characters Category:Regeneration Category:Superhuman Senses Category:Superhuman Agility Category:Superhuman Stamina Category:Speed (Superhuman) Category:Strength Class 10 Category:Durability (Enhanced) Category:Geniuses Category:Hyperosmia Category:Night Vision Category:Doctors Category:Utopians Category:Episcopalian Characters Category:Musicians Category:Ape Form Category:Feline Form Category:Vertical Pupils